


You Can Go Home Again

by torino10154



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-22
Updated: 2010-09-22
Packaged: 2017-10-13 02:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/131883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torino10154/pseuds/torino10154





	You Can Go Home Again

**Title:** You Can Go Home Again  
 **Pairings:** Severus/Harry, past Harry/Ginny  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Word count:** ~2,660  
 **Warning(s):** Canon compliant (except for that _one_ pesky death).  
 **Summary:** Harry pays a visit to Hogwarts and finds his future in his past.  
 **A/N:** Special thanks to [](http://gryffindorj.insanejournal.com/profile)[**gryffindorj**](http://gryffindorj.insanejournal.com/) and [](http://shellydkitty.insanejournal.com/profile)[**shellydkitty**](http://shellydkitty.insanejournal.com/) for feedback and suggestions, and to [](http://jadzialove.insanejournal.com/profile)[**jadzialove**](http://jadzialove.insanejournal.com/) for the beta. Any mistakes that remain are mine alone. Written for the 'Back to Hogwarts' fest. The original links can be found on [IJ](http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snape_potter/518975.html), [LJ](http://community.livejournal.com/snape_potter/2414240.html), and [DW](http://snape-potter.dreamwidth.org/58653.html).

  
Running a hand through his eternally messy, albeit starting to grey, hair, Harry tried not to be nervous. He was Head Auror for heaven's sake! He'd dealt with the absolute scum of the wizarding world as well as a fair few Muggles who had been caught up in dealings with ne'er-do-well wizards. Yet there was nothing like the prospect of going back to Hogwarts to make him feel adolescent all over again.

Soon after the war, Hogwarts had implemented a special leaving feast for the families of their seventh years so the parents would be involved in the momentous day that their children left Hogwarts forever. Now that James was a seventh year, Harry planned to be there for his son.

It would be awkward for a number of reasons. Seeing Ginny with her second husband always rankled. They'd split amicably enough but he couldn't help wondering when she'd started seeing the Harpies medi-wizard so soon after their divorce. Draco Malfoy would be there as he was now on the Board of Governors. While they usually interacted cordially when they ran into each other at the Ministry, Harry felt bringing up old memories at Hogwarts itself was bound to be a bit uncomfortable for both of them.

Then there was Snape.

Of course, Harry had dealt with him on more than one occasion. He'd had a few cases that required a Potions expert and no one would doubt Snape was the best. There had also been the handful of times the Headmaster contacted him regarding his children's behaviour.

There was the other problem as well. The one Harry refused to think about. Except at night, alone in his bed, hand on his cock, fingers in his arse.

Yes, _that_ was a problem.

Harry couldn't actually pinpoint when the grudging respect he'd developed for Snape had moved beyond what was due any hero of the wizarding world. He supposed his obsession with the man, pretty much from the first day they met, augmented by his near crush on the Half-Blood Prince, was bound to bear fruit eventually.

When he thought back to his first impressions of Bill Weasley or Kingsley Shacklebolt he _did_ realize there had been a bit of latent attraction to men all along. Although really, they were terrible examples apparently, because from what Harry had heard whispered by witches for years, everyone with a pulse would shag those two.

Snape was definitely not Kingsley or Bill. Unfortunately, logical rules of attraction didn't play a role here. Harry knew what he wanted and Snape was it.

Left with no real options Harry avoided him except when absolutely necessary.

Like tonight.

Smoothing down his robes, Harry adjusted the glasses on his face. Rectangular rather than round, he felt he looked less innocent, more mature, hardened to life's uncertainties.

Maybe Snape wouldn't realize he was quaking in his boots, with a raging hard on as well.

Apparating to Hogsmeade, Harry walked down the path toward Hogwarts with a heightened sense of nostalgia. His first real home; he really did miss the place. It was easy to brush aside the lesser horrors and focus on the best aspects of his time there.

Seeing the light on at Hagrid's, Harry's face broke into a grin.

One quick knock on the door and as soon as it opened he was wrapped in two huge arms, smelling of Firewhisky and skrewts, a scent he'd never forget.

"'Arry!" the deep voice rumbled above his head. "'Ow are yeh? 'Ere to see Jamie off, I take it?"

"Yeah, can't believe he's leaving Hogwarts already," Harry replied as Hagrid released him from the rib-bruising hug. "It seems like he just started yesterday."

"Ah, Auror Potter," a very familiar voice said softly. Harry froze and turned to see Snape standing from a chair at Hagrid's table.

Recovering quickly, Harry put out a hand and said, "Headmaster. It's good to see you."

Snape shook his hand, the warmth of his flesh surprising Harry and he found himself reluctant to let go. "The pleasure is mine." Harry had to laugh.

"Don't start lying to me now after all these years."

"On the contrary, Potter. Your presence here suggests you shall be taking your eldest son with you." Snape regarded him closely before continuing silkily. "One Potter down and two to go."

Hagrid looked between them, his face frowning slightly before saying loudly, "Jamie's a good boy, 'Eadmaster. One of the best Gryffindor's seen since 'Arry were a lad."

"A high recommendation indeed." Snape moved toward the door as if gliding. "Don't be late for the feast, Hagrid. Potter." He inclined his head slightly in Harry's direction and vanished into the darkness, the door falling closed behind him.

"He's still a bit of a prick, isn't he?" Harry said, slightly stunned at Snape's comment.

Hagrid guffawed. "That he is, 'Arry but not like he used to be. He and I were just 'avin' a cuppa tea." Harry looked down to see the two teacups, one very large, as well as the bottle of Firewhisky, half-empty, at the table.

"To be truthful, 'Arry, I think you wrong foot 'im. Maybe it brings back memories, you know, seeing you here." Hagrid began tidying the teacups, and Harry fell into an over sized chair, dazed.

 _He_ was the one wrong footing _Snape_? He snorted. _Highly unlikely._

"Cuppa, 'Arry?"

"Thanks, Hagrid. That would be great." Harry's thoughts drifted to the very confusing man in black as he waited.

* * * * *

The Leaving Feast itself was a noisy affair. The treacle tart was just as good as it had always been and Harry ate two servings, hoping no one noticed when Lily passed hers to him.

There were girls in tears, hugging their friends good-bye, students making the rounds to say good-bye to their professors, their parents embarrassed to be reminded of when they themselves were in school. Harry couldn't imagine anything more different from his own last days at Hogwarts.

He was thankful for that.

Harry caught sight of Lily and her cousin Rose, heads together with a gaggle of Ravenclaws. He followed their eyes and saw his younger son, Al, standing not far from his good friend, Scorpius Malfoy.

Harry liked to think Draco must have been more shocked at their friendship than he'd been. But that Scorpius was as agreeable as he was, made Harry both proud of his son for not judging someone by their name and also of Draco for somehow managing to raise a well-adjusted young man.

When they finished eating, the tables were pushed to the edges of the Hall, to make room for mingling, and set with after-dinner beverages, smaller tables and chairs appeared in the corners of the room for people wanting a quieter setting. Harry searched for each of his children in turn.

"I'll meet you at King's Cross tomorrow, Lily. Then we can decide whether Rose is coming for the weekend or not. You know I can't make a decision without Aunt Hermione's opinion."

"Brilliant, Dad! Aunt Hermione always says yes if I'm the one who asks, instead of Rose." Lily ran away giggling, and Harry decided he wouldn't bother mentioning to Hermione that, apparently, she was a known pushover.

Next was Al. As he walked up, Harry noticed Scorpius heading straight for Draco, a similar sense of purpose in his stride.

"What are you two up to, Al?" Harry asked before Al could even open his mouth. "Are you sure you're really Slytherins?"

"Definitely." Al's green eyes lit up and he smiled slyly. "Can I go with Scorpius back to Malfoy Manor for the first week of summer hols? We have a potions project we're working on..." Al didn't finish the sentence, but Harry knew him well enough to know that there was nothing more important than a potions project to his middle child.

"If you really have to, Al. But be careful in that house. It still gives me chills." Harry shivered involuntarily.

"It's not like that anymore, Dad. Scorpius said his father hired cursebreakers to come through and get rid of anything his grandfather or the Ministry might have missed."

Harry blinked, another point to Draco Malfoy then. Al hugged him, just as Scorpius was saying goodbye to his parents, and the two of them headed out of the Great Hall, thick as thieves. Harry caught Draco's eye and they shared a look of understanding. How different things might have been if they'd started school without Voldemort hanging over their heads, even from afar.

He walked over to find James talking with Professor McGonagall, who was completely grey-haired but still sharp as a tack.

"Harry certainly got up to some mischief in his day," McGonagall said, her eyes watery. "I've never had a student I was more proud of."

Feeling a blush spread across his face, Harry refused to meet his son's gaze, even as they stood the same height now.

"What sort of trouble did Dad get into, Professor?" James said smoothly, the charmer, and Harry decided he wasn't worried what McGonagall would say about him. It wasn't likely anything that James didn't know already. He hoped.

"Well, Dad," James said, his voice cool as a cucumber, after McGonagall turned and began speaking with Neville and Hannah Longbottom, "Going to have to shag Snape to make sure I pass my NEWTs?"

Harry choked on thin air, apparently, and looked at his eldest son, who was grinning widely.

"Aw, just kidding, Dad." He swallowed the last sip of his butterbeer and set it on the table next to them. "I know NEWTs are scored by the Ministry."

"Precisely. I hope you took them seriously." Heart racing, Harry was glad he'd managed to recover his composure so quickly. Although he'd happily sleep with the Headmaster, given the opportunity.

"I won't let you down. I'll be the perfect first-born son, becoming an Auror just like you—"

Harry burst out laughing. "Please. Send George your resume, I think he's hiring."

"I might just do that, if Mum hasn't managed to get me a try-out for the Tornados."

Harry grabbed his son and pulled him close. "You're going to play Quidditch?" Harry had to admit a small part of him would have loved to play professionally, but he loved being an Auror and never regretted the choice.

"If Mum gets me that try-out like she promised." They both caught sight of Ginny, currently talking to Rose and Lily. She and Harry had managed to avoid one another subtly, he thought, just never quite being in the same place at the same time. Her husband, Alistair, was a cousin of Oliver Wood's as well as a medi-wizard. If it was possible to get a husband on par with the famous Harry Potter, she'd managed. The most important thing, though, was that the kids accepted him happily.

"I'm sure she will. She's brilliant like that," Harry replied in all honesty.

"So, about you and the Headmaster...." Harry coughed violently again. His son might actually be evil, he concluded as a new voice registered in his ear.

"What about me, Mr Potter?" Snape said as he appeared as if by Apparition.

"Nothing important, sir," James replied, the model of diplomacy. "See you tomorrow, Dad." Harry watched as his son disappeared into the crowd.

"You have an interesting brood, Mr Potter." Snape's voice brought Harry back to the fact that the man was standing with him, trying to make conversation. Likely just wanted to needle him, Harry thought sourly.

"They are each very different, that's true." Harry really had no idea how that happened, they all had the same parents after all, raised in more or less the same way. Thinking of the Weasleys, particularly Percy, Harry put that thought to rest.

"James is remarkably like his namesake."

That comment caught Harry's attention. He'd let the slight against James go the first time, but he wouldn't allow Snape to insult him again.

"Listen, Snape—" Before he could get the rest of the words out of his mouth, Snape continued speaking.

"However, as he was not a spoilt, only child, he is far kinder to the students of houses other than his own."

"Wh-hat?" Harry stuttered.

"I find your son far more tolerable than his grandfather ever was. Well done." Snape's eyes crinkled and his lip twitched, and Harry took it for a smile and laughed.

"Tell me what you think of Al and Lily, sir." Harry was quite curious about both of them, one named for Snape himself and the other for his childhood friend.

"Do call me Severus, Harry. I believe we've known each other long enough to warrant it." Harry thought he was taking the piss, but he continued speaking without further explanation. "I'm afraid you will have to wait until they leave school to discover my honest opinion of them."

Seeing the opportunity to ask something that had been on his mind since he left Hagrid's, Harry couldn't resist.

"Why did you say that earlier? 'One Potter down, two to go'. What was that supposed to mean?" Harry asked perplexed.

"Once your daughter leaves, there will be no more reason for you to make appearances at Hogwarts." Severus looked away from him, almost sadly rather than elated, as Harry would have expected. Harry blinked as he took in the words, trying to make sense of them. Surely Severus didn't mean what it sounded like he was saying?

"I don't understand, Severus." Severus continued looking out at the students, a hint of pink colouring his pale cheeks.

Harry breathed in sharply, finally realizing that he understood exactly what Severus was telling him. He wanted to see Harry, enjoyed his company, maybe even knew how Harry felt. _Perhaps not_ , Harry thought, getting ahead of himself, and yet the idea was lodged in his brain now. He noticed James's eyes on him, wide with surprise and he knew he must have been grinning like an idiot.

"Shocking, isn't it, Harry?" Severus murmured softly, filling in the silence that had developed between them. "To discover your former professor isn't made of wood or metal, but flesh and blood just as you are."

Harry swallowed and took a step closer. Placing a hand on Severus's arm, he spoke.

"I've known what you were since you nearly bled to death in front of me." Then Severus turned and looked at him, eyes still sharp and bright even as his hair was liberally streaked with white, the lines around his eyes deeper and harsher than ever. Yet time had softened him around the edges, at least in Harry's mind, and he knew he was no longer intimidated by him.

He kept his eyes fixed on Severus's, knowing he'd feel a brush of Legilimency if Severus were to attempt it, but perhaps his expression was enough to satisfy Severus's doubts.

"If you have time—"

"Perhaps after the feast—"

They looked at each other. "Please, Harry, you were saying?"

"I was thinking, hoping actually, you'd be available for a drink later in Hogsmeade." Harry ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he'd been unable to break.

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," Severus replied, his face that inscrutable mask Harry had always found infuriating. Now he saw it more as Severus's way of protecting himself, revealing nothing of his emotions lest he be hurt.

Pulling himself up to his full height, now only a shade taller than Harry was, Severus leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "My chambers, ten o'clock. Don't be late." Harry's eyes fluttered closed for a moment. The promise in the words sent butterflies swarming in his stomach.

"Now, I have a school to run," Severus said, formally, as if he hadn't just propositioned Harry in a crowded room. "If you would excuse me."

"Of course." He watched Severus's retreating form as he made his way to the dais and brought his hands together, silencing everyone left in the Great Hall and sending them on their way.

Thinking back on when he first came to Hogwarts, Harry smiled. It felt good to be home again.


End file.
